Sherlock the missing tabby was reunited with his human sisters Talia and Sasha Walker. Photo: SuppliedThe case of the disappearance of Sherlock the cat from a Brisbane home more than three months ago has been solved – and it’s all thanks to a microchip.

The Walker family of Brisbane left their pet tabby Sherlock with family friends just before Christmas last year while they went on holidays, only to come back early in January and find their beloved pet had gone missing.

Stephen Walker and his family frantically put out flyers and contacted the RSPCA, desperate to find their furry family member. As months rolled by, the family feared the worst.

However, in late March, Mr Walker said he received a call from the pound saying they had found a cat named Sherlock and his contact details after a routine microchip scan.

“Sherlock had lost his collar a few weeks before we went away. He was good at losing his collar, and I wasn’t terribly concerned because he had a microchip and I didn’t think he would go walkabout,” he said.

“When he disappeared we thought, it’s OK, at least he still has a microchip which is lucky because he didn’t have a collar.”

Animal Welfare League Queensland spokesperson Shan Veivers said Sherlock was a success story that showed how important it was to implant a permanent form of electronic identification known as a microchip into pets.

“It cuts down the stress for the animals. It is quite confronting for them to end up in the pound and then end up with us, especially cats, they get very stressed,” she said.

“It can all be solved with a quick wave of a wand and a phone call.”

Mr Walker said he got a “bit teary” when he picked up Sherlock from the pound, amazed he had been found and identified.

“The thing that disturbed me, she said, ‘It is so nice you are happy to have him,’ and I thought ‘Isn’t everyone?” he said.

“She said most people say, ‘We moved on, we don’t care, send him to the RSPCA.’ There are a lot of people who couldn’t care less.”

Animal Welfare League Queensland will be holding a mobile microchip event on Saturday, May 21, between 1.30pm-3.30pm at Barrett Street Reserve on the corner of Barrett and Snooker Street, Bracken Ridge.